Karma
by AtomicKokoro
Summary: Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a ridd... cont. inside note: didn't save the way it was written.
1. Chapter 1: Blackout

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 1**

**Blackout**

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

Clicking noises could be heard, echoing off the walls.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

Lightening flashed, thunder cracked, and rain dripped down every wall, every window.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

A luminious light only revealed his big brown eyes and black hair.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He looked back at the only door in the room nervously, as if he expected something to come through.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He continued to press buttons on the peice of technology he depended on to keep his secrets safe.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He shivered.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He breathed heavily.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He blinked quickly.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He looked back, gasping in fear, then turned back to his work.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

Something creaked.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

Something growled.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

Something moved about.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He was oblivious.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

It rustled papers.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

It was silent.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

It was almost invisible.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

He spun and gasped, hearing a floorboard squeek.

Silence.

Lightening flashed.

He gasped, then screamed. But his cries were muffled out my thunder.

His enteries fell to the ground and shattered. His laptop.

Pain shot up his body slowly. What was he going to do? No help, no noise, no one would know, no one could know.

He was alone.

No.

He was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Invaulable Questions

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 2**

**Invaluable Questions**

"What could've done this?" He asked, picking up peices of a trashed laptop, which was in the same condition as the room: entirely destoryed.

An eleven-year-old scientist-in-training shook his head. "I don't know." He said. "But whoever trashed this place took Astro, too." The doctor shook his head. An indian boy beside him looked down. The S.I.T looked at him. "Don't worry, Ken. Astro will be fine on his own. He's gotten himself in and out of situations like this before."

Ken looked up, his face the same. "But, Reno..." He began. "For someone to actually _catch_ Astro is a big accomplishment there. What if... what if..."

Reno lifted an eyebrow. "Ken, Astro's alive." He assured. "If they wanted him dead, they would've killed him on the spot, rather then robotnap him." The doctor and Ken blinked. Reno laughed boastfully. "Yeah, I read too many Sherlock Holmes books."

"O'Sheay. Do think Astro will be okay?" Ken asked hopefully. O'Sheay looked at Ken for a moment and looked unsure.

But, before O'Sheay could answer, a little girl bounded in, tears in eyes. "Where's Astro!" She demanded, plowing herself into O'Sheay. "What happened to Astro!"

Reno's eyebrows knitted. "Zoran..." Zoran was Astro's little sister. Astro was the only [biological] family she had. Yeah, there was himself, Zoran's adoptive brother, and O'Sheay, her father-like role model, but she adored Astro for saving her life countless times, as well as occasionally baking a cake with her when everyone else was busy. "We're trying our best to find out what happened and where Astro is."

Zoran sniffed and ran out of the room. She made her way outside, where she charged out the gates and down the street to Astro's school, where most of his friends hung out on weekends and summers.

She knew Ken had come to the Ministry of Science to see where Astro and Zoran was because they was supposed to go to a get together the others were planning to have by the park at the school but they never showed up. She was almost surprised to see everyone there, from Denku to Pluto, from Atlas to Ambercrombie (who were currently fighting over how milk gets to the store, which made her laugh inwardly at them), just chatting about what they had done since the night of Tenma's arrest.

The first to notice Zoran's [loud and continuious] crying was Epsilon. "Zoran?" She said out loud. Everyone turned to watch Astro's sister plow herself into Atlas's body, who nearly fell over from surprise and force.

"What! What are you hugging to me for!" Was his instant reaction to the gesture. He paused, trying to keep his hands off the upset girl. He sighed. "What did Astro do this time?" He said with defeat. She continued to cry, rather then explaining the situation.

Epsilon walked over and placed a hand on Zoran's shoulder. "Would this have something to do with the Police being at the Ministry of Science?" Zoran nodded and continued to cling onto Atlas.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Atlas growled, annoying from the lack of explanation and exessive hugging.

Zoran pulled herself away from Atlas and glared at him in the eye, the sobs choked back for the moment. Clenching her fists, she yelled, "I want you to find him!"

Everyone went silent. Then Atlas spoke up. "Find who?"

"Astro!" She hissed, then sobbed into her arms. "He's gone! Disappeared! Vanished! Just like Denku can!" Denku jumped back in surprise at the mentioning and relation to him. She leaned her head back and nearly screamed, "Robotnapped!" Everyone's jaw had fallen at the word.

It wasn't long before Ken and Reno arrived. At the sight of everyone's face, Reno said, "She told you, didn't she?" Epsilon nodded.

"Who would do this?" Pluto stepped foreward and let Zoran onto his hand. "Why would they want him?"

Atlas folded his arms. "Astro's had a lot of enemies in the past, including the majority of us. It wouldn't be a doubt that someone is still trying to shut him down."

Denku nodded. "We could probably have never heard of this person."

"Well, whoever it is, this person doesn't want us to find him. He left no clues... that the human eye can see." Reno said. He looked at everyone. "Do you know what I mean?" Everyone nodded.

Zoran's looked at everyone before bursting into tears again, this time in happiness. "We're gonna go look for Astro!" She gulped in enthusiasim. Atlas smiled, but regretted the action when Zoran threw herself at him and tackled him with another hug. He moaned.

"Stop hugging me!" He hissed, pushing Zoran off.

"C'mon." Reno called. "Let's go save Astro!"

"Yeah!"

He lied on the cold, stone floor. The room was small and dark, water dripping in the corners. He began to stir, his eyes opening slowly.

Chains rattled, the sound echoing.

He leaned up and felt his head. When he brought his hand back down, he saw that a metal band was wrapped around his wrist, which was chained to a wall. He jumped to his feet and examined himself. His opposing wrist and ankles, too, were cuffed and chained to walls around him.

He began to panic. Where was he? Why was he here? He glanced around quickly. There were no entrances or exits. He was trapped... trapped!

He brought his hands to his head and ran them through his hair, stumbling. He shook his head. Where was he? Why was he here! Would it have to do with..."No..." He whispered in a pained voice. "No! NO!" He released a tortured scream that no one could hear, no one would hear.

Because his scream had been stolen by the walls of withen his mind.


	3. Chapter 3: Music Box Mystery

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 3**

**Music Box Mystery**

He lied on the ground, cluching his stomach, tucking his knees in. The pain was unbearable. Yet, it had no origin. He could scream, but no one would hear him. He could thrash about, but no one would see him.

He had done countless scans on his body and the area, yet nothing was out of place. Where was this pain coming from?

"Help..." He pleaded silently. "Someone... please..."

His brown eyes blinked slowly. His mouth dropped open slightly. His lower hand fell to the ground in a lifeless fashion. His body relaxed slowly. His eyes remained closed.

Was he... Was he going to die?

A sound could be heard, as if it were far away. It was the sound of a music box. 4 by 4 time signeture, must have been 3 measures long, repeating the same piano-like notes: G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

It repeated over and over again. As Astro listened to the never-ending music, the pain began to melt, and consciousness was taking over.

The more he began to drift into his undying reality, the louder the music became. Why did it sound so famillier? Why did it tear his heart to hear the peice of music?

It was black... then white.

The moon shone bright into the room as robots and humans searched the room carefully. Not a single square inch was missed.

"Whoever this guys is, he doesn't want to be found." Doctor Kwan, O'Sheay's assisstant, said after no evidance was found.

"Yeah." Yuko sighed. Zoran sniffed.

"Does this mean... Astro's..." Reno placed a hand on Zoran's shoulder.

"We're not giving up, Zoran. We just have to find someplace else to look." He reassured her. Zoran stared at him for a moment... then smiled.

"Okay."

Epsilon smiled, then looked at Atlas. "Do you hear that?" He said, staring into space. Epsilon's smile faded and she began to listen carefully.

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F. Was that... "Piano?" She said suddenly. Atlas turned his head and walked to Zoran, placing an ear against her control panel... then opened it.

The music had become louder as Zoran's panel was opened. A small, green bulb was flashing. "Help... Someone... Please..." Pleaded a familier voice. Then, the bulb when red and faded.

"Astro..." Alejo noted outloud. "That was Astro's voice."

"How is that possible?" Pluto's deep, slow voice chimed in. Everyone turned to him. "That song was the same one Zoran played for her piano recital last week."

Zoran looked down. "Astro always went to my piano recitals, even if he was going to miss a Rocket Ball practice." She recollected. "I wish I went to at least one of his Rocket Ball games."

"Uh, no mean to break up the whole thing, but, uh, I think I heard something." Ambercrombie said sheepishly. O'Sheay nodded.

"Zoran. Replay the last call you had from Astro, but remove his voice and the piano." Zoran obeyed and everyone listened quietly.

"Yew..." Came a raspy voice from the message. There was a snarl, the sound of claws against pavement, rumbling of thunder and engines... and a laugh. Moans of pain and cries of dispair were only a slight backround noise. "...will suffer..." Chains rattled. But there was also other sounds of music in the backround. One's that sounded as if they were being played live.

And the message ended.

Everyone was silent.

Zoran brought a hand to her head. "I can't believe that came from my playback." She blurted. Everyone silently agreed.

His eyes opened wide at first, then squinted to ajust to the light above him. He went to move his hand to his eyes, but something prevented it from doing so. He began to struggled, but the leather was stronger then himself. "H-help!" He cried out, hoping maybe someone could hear him. And someone did. Just, not someone he hoped would.

Over him stood a nurse. But not just any nurse.

He must have been warped into some horror movie! Over him resembled a cut up, bloodied nurse, scalpal in hand.

Yes.

This was like a horror movie. But in reality...

Astro screamed.

"This doesn't feel right." Ken whined under the sheet over head head with two eye holes in them. "Astro's missing and we're out, Trick-or-Treating." Zoran nodded, fixing her witch hat after she nodded is out of place.

"I bet it's what Astro would want." Reno brought up, putting his hands in his pocket. "You all know how he is." Everyone murmered an agreement, until Reno accidentally stumbled apon a woman dressed as a nurse from what must have been from Silent Hill. "Sorry." He chuckled. "Nice costume."

And continued walking past, until the nurse grabbed his arm and growled. Reno brought his free arm up in defense. "Okay, chill." He said. "You've already got me." She growled again and opened her mouth, blood seeping down her damaged cheeks. "Um, yeah. Awesome effects..." He felt a smile disappear off his face, as the other turned around.

The nurse brought up a scalpal in her free hand. Reno stared in horror as she brought the scalpal down fast and hard to his face. Reno leaned back, just getting a deep cut across his cheek. Pain surged enough on his face after the attack to make him yelp. "What the heck's your problem!" He hissed, enraged from the dark, heavy day.

She tilted her head and snarled. "You expect to find him...?" She screeched in a terrible voice, a horrific smile twisted on her face. "You'll never find him!" She let out a twisted laugh. Reno began to struggle.

"Let go!" He yelled. "Let go of me!" The street watched the boy and the overpowering nurse in horror and curiousity. Again, she brought the scalpal down, aiming for his neck, but Reno stepped back half a stride and the scalpal shreded the flesh across his chest.

He cried out, blood overfilling his lips. He stumbled back, the nurse allowing him to fall. Epsilon and Atlas appeared almost instantly. Epsilon caught Reno before he had fallen completely and landed him safely on the ground, resting his head on her knees.

Atlas, on the other hand, reached out and grabbed the nurse's wrist and twisted it behind her back. "What was that, huh!" He demanded. "Going around, hurting kids on Halloween! Who are you! What are you...?"

The nurse's head spun around a 180, which freaked Atlas out enough to let her go. Her body twisted her head remained facing Atlas. "He regrets not knowing." She laughed. "You better stop. If you can't figure it out, they will come... _for all of you!_" She chuckled in a horrific way. Zoran grabbed onto Ken's sheet and screamed.

Atlas took three strides back, staring at the nurse in horror. She let out a scream... and exploded. Atlas jumped back, Zoran let out a more scared, high-pitch cry of fear, everyone jumped in surprise... and froze.

There was absolute silence... then Zoran began to sob into Ken's shirt. Atlas dared to breathe, and Reno lost consciousness. Bystanders began to run away.

"I think we've just found ourselves a clue..." Atlas mused.


	4. Chapter 4: Clues

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 4**

**Clues**

Atlas got Zoran to replay the message over and over again. He tried to understand the nurse's words.

_"He regrets not knowing." She laughed. "You better stop. If you can't figure it out, they will come... _for all of you_!"_

What did Astro _not_ know? Astro hadn't learned something, and that was what got him into trouble. Atlas thought for a long time. What on Earth could Astro not know? He was the most brilliant robots amongst them. Atlas was programmed to know everything Astro knew and didn't know. That meant Astro had been told something, ask a question that didn't know the answer to. But what?

He listened so carefully to the voice, that he may have failed to pick up another clue. He asked Zoran to replay the message without the unknown voice, and he listened carefully.

Engines.

Where were the sound of Engines coming from? What were the sound of claws on pavement? The sound of thunder? Who's voices were in the backround of it all?

The only thing he could do was rebuild the laptop Astro was using last and look up the recent internet history and the recent documents he had written on the computer. Astro liked to write down all of his thoughts and feelings onto that computer. It was like his diary. The only problem was getting passed the security system.

Who was smart enough to do that!

Astro was brilliant. He knew all sorts of things, and any word could be the password.

Wait.

There was one person. But, unfortunetly, he was in the hospital, unconscious from last nights attack. It looked like there was only one way to do this: destory the laptop completely and rebuild it peice by peice properly.

Atlas didn't know why he wanted to help Astro so much, he just knew he had to do it. Maybe it had to do with all the times he bothered to even care about what happened to him. Or maybe it was he wanted revenge on the stupid nurse who ruined his armour with her blood and guts. He wasn't sure which one weighed out the other, but he was sure that he was going to find Astro, even if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

Astro panted heavily, his showering pain in the form of electricty around his leg. It was gaining on him. The shadow of a creature so horrid, so vile, even he couldn't bear to glance at it. It was so evil, it screwed his circuts. He didn't even know it was possible!

This was a game to them. They fed on pain and fear. They enjoyed watching others suffer terrible fates. He wasn't going to let it him, for it would only increase those things' pleasure.

Astro limped around the corner and attempted to increase his speed, ignoring the pain in his leg. He tried to run normally, glancing over his shoulder. The creature skidded into the wall while turning, but it didn't stop. He chased after Astro without hesitation.

Rooms guarded by vertical bars were along both sides of the hallway. They looked like prision cells.

"Help!" He screamed.

"Astro!" Came a cry from his panel on his chest. He looked down, then up to watch his direction.

"Zoran!" He processed. "Zoran! Is that you!"

"Astro!" She squeeled through the mic. "Where are you!"

"In trouble!" He gasped. He looked up to see a horizontal bar right before him, as a sudden gust of wind picked up and threw him into the bar. He yelped in agony as his forehead kissed the metal hard enough to cause his circuts damage. "I... I don't know..." He muttered painfully and leaned up, feeling his damaged head.

The ground began to shake, and Astro looked back. It was coming for him. "Are you okay!" She asked automaticly. "Astro, what's happening!"

Astro got to his feet and looked ahead. There was something... a trap of some sort. He blinked. "Scanning." He said and looked around. This place was covered in set traps. The one ahead was about to go as soon as he passed. "I have an idea!" He spun around and watched the creature get close.

"Astro!"

"I'm being chased by this creature." He opened up a panel on his chest where a video camera could show what it was. "I don't know where I am or who took me. All I know is that I have to live!" He prepared as the creature got closer. He crouched down slightly. "These people who took me... aren't human."

"Are they robot!" Came a second voice. O'Sheay's, no doubt.

"No... They're monsters." Astro gulped. "They are evil." The creature was five feet away now. It must have been ten feet tall. He crouched down, and charged to the right before the creature could reach him. It was going too fast to stop.

Astro turned around and activated his jets in mid air, just to watch a shatter-proof glass window close on the creature. The creature began to cry out in pain and horror. Slowly, spike emerged from it's skull, causing Astro to cover his mouth with his hands to keep him from revolting at the sight.

The creature fell to the ground, lifelessly, blood pouring from the open wounds on it's head into a pool of blood, it's face frozen in a state of fear, shock, and pain.

Astro choked back a yelp. "What's happening here!" He sobbed and felt his head. He carefully scanned his entire electronic brain for anything that shouldn't be there. He gasped as he found something. He shook his head slowly and lowered himself to the ground.

No, not a bug, not a virus, or a trojan. But rather a device. The exact as the creature had lodged into the center of his brain. If he had crossed that line, he would've suffered that fate. "Please..." He begged. "Get me outta here..."

The connection went dead.

Zoran, O'Sheay, Tawashi, and the ARRS (or else known as the Delta Squad or the Anti-Robot Robot Squad) stared at the broken connection in horror. Just what was going on!

Delta leaned foreward and placed a hand on Zoran's head. "At least we know he's alive." He said, trying to lighten the mood. But Zoran stared at the static picture on the small screen in horror. Where was her brother? Was he going to last very long?

She looked up at Delta. "Am I the only one who saw Astro's last scan?"

Atlas carefully placed the peices together. The security system was gone, but the laptop was almost disinagrated. He had spent all day and night peicing it together. And it was almost done. His energy was low, but he kept on going. Reno was still in his coma-like state in the hospital, so help could not be found. Or, at least, help he didn't find constantly annoying.

"Atlas." Came a voice on the video-phone. "I need to tell you something. It's Reno." Atlas nodded.

The next day's night brought an almost brand new laptop, with the same information Astro typed onto it. He brought it to O'Sheay's office and set it on O'Sheay's desk, where he sat himself on the chair and began typing. Astro was in the exact same spot when he had been taken.

He had seen the most recent message from Astro, and asked Zoran to play it over and over, removing some sound each time and pausing the video in places to get a veiw of the creature and devices. He also agknowledged Astro's final scan that had been broadcasted on the message.

Delta, Tawashi, and Ken (yes, Kennedy, Astro's friend) downloaded a copy of Astro's two calls to Zoran and began to do such a thurough scan, Atlas was sure they had double-checked the messages four hundred times, removing sounds and images from the video and audio that acompanied each other.

Atlas opened up the laptop with a scratching and opened up his recent documents. He clicked the most recent entry.

**October 29th /2031**

**11:56 pm**

**Today will be a rather interesting entry as I go through the events of today. Well, I decided to go to this place called Jackal Prision with Ken, Alejo, Ambercrombie, Reno, and Zoran. We had an awesome time. We kept seeing and hearing things, so it was pretty awesome.**

**I went into this room and it was weird. It's not all that importent cause I didn't get what it said. Apperently, that place is over three centery's old! (Alejo is my info source) And I thought Jumbo was old!**

Atlas rolled his eyes. Even when Astro wasn't talking to anybody, he was still joking around like everything was fine. Good ol' Astro. Too bad he wasn't here right now. He could probably lighten the mood a bit.

**Well, it's located somewhere outside Metro City near the car dump disposal thingy. It's funny. Scientist Kwan Brack was telling me horror stories about the place being invested with ghosts just before I got there. It doesn't scare me, not a bit. If there was such a thing, you'd probably have to get some serious proof to get me to believe.**

**It's raining outside, a huge thunderstorm. There's a blackout, so Zoran is staying with Nora while I hang out up here. I'm kinda trapped since the door won't open because it opens by eletricity and there's no electricity. I would take the vent, but what's the point of trashing the place when I can just wait?**

**Whoa. That was creepy. I thought I just heard something behind me. Probably just Zoran running around. Apperently, she's afraid of the dark. I remember being like that when I was younger.**

**Okay, I'm starting to get a little afraid. I keep hearing things. This is not cool. I hope it stops soon. I keeping hearing claws again the floor, but I think... actually, I don't know what to think. It's just weird. Maybe it's the thunder or something. Maybe my circuts have gone haywire.**

**Hey, I found something about that place Kwan mentioned in one of his stories. Black Cquan Hospital or something like that. It's apart of a story that's like Silent Hill and Saw combined. Now that would be a cool movie to see.**

**It's fake (obviously) so, there's pretty much no point in worrying it to be real. (Dunno why I would think so in the first place.) Apartently, if you heard the riddle about the Black Cquan, who are [apperently] weird creature thingies, then you get taken away and stuff. Well, Kwan is still here, ain't he? Then I guess that myth is busted.**

**Man, I watch way too much t.v.**

**What the heck, I'll write it here. I'm gonna reread this entry and go, "Did I really think that was real! Man, Astro. You really need to learn to grow up!" Okay, so it goes:**

_**If you can read this**_

_**You will regret,**_

_**Knowing of this riddle,**_

_**But if you can solve it,**_

_**You can escape,**_

_**The Black Cquan Armies,**_

_**With you're life**_

_**But if you fail,**_

_**You will suffer,**_

_**For the rest of time and eternity:**_

_**Who is the one,**_

_**Who controls the Cquan,**_

_**Who runs the Black Cquan Hospital,**_

_**Who will tell you about this riddle**_

_**He is hidden where you cannot find him,**_

_**He is tricky,**_

_**He is intellagent,**_

_**You can never guess,**_

_**He made sure of it**_

_**If you know this man,**_

_**You would think twice to guess him,**_

_**If you do not,**_

_**Know this man,**_

_**You could not guess him,**_

_**Because of you're lack of observation**_

_**He knows you,**_

_**He knows you're reading this,**_

_**He will take you,**_

_**Take you away**_

_**You're nightmare starts now.**_

**Okay. Creepy. But horribly written. Yeah, I shouldn't read that when I'm alone. Atlas would think I'm such a coward! Uuuuuuuhhgggg! I hope he never reads this. I mean, he's really cool, and I don't want him to think so lowly of me. What if he doesn't want to hang out with someone who's afraid of a stupid riddle, the dark, and stupid noises! He just started to finally say hi to me! That's a big accomplishment right there!**

**Well, he won't be able to get passed my password... Why would he guess his own name!**

In truth, Atlas was flattered. But he felt bad that Astro was trying to be brave (maybe even someone else) just to be his friend. He didn't know Astro was hiding this kind of stuff from him. He almost wished he had at least had the curdosy of asking how he was doing.

**Well, he did save my life... Two or three times. And, all three times, I failed. Ahg! No wonder he doesn't want talk to me! I'm such a failure! Maybe I should get upgraded soon. Maybe he'd talk to me more then!**

**Man, I think I say well too much. And I use too many !'s. I should relax and let everything go. Maybe that's why I'm hearing things. I just need to relax and everything will be okay.**

**I think I'll go get some ice cre**

And that was that. "This must have been when Astro was kidnapped." He scanned some more documants, finding one entitled: "Story of the Jackal Prision: Bloody Nurses". Atlas shook it off and stood up, leaning against the desk looking down, drowned in his thoughts. Nothing in that entry told him where he was. When Atlas snapped back into reality, he noticed something engraved into the hardwood floor.

He got onto his hands and knees and ran his finger through the markings that were carved into the ground. There were four lines, each idenitcal to the last. They were so huge, how could it have been missed!

Atlas's eyes opened wide. There was breathing down his neck. The scratching noise made by the laptop wasn't made by the laptop.

Slowly, he turned around.


	5. Chapter 5: Always in Memory

.com/936457979419

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 5**

**Always in Memory**

Zoran shot up from her bed, panting. She felt her head. Everytime she closed her eyes, she would see him. She looked beside her on her bed. Her brother would be awake by now, trying to comfort her. He had always been a light sleeper. Either that or he constantly forgot to turn off his super hearing at night.

She, on the other hand, was hard to wake up, especially in the morning. But, now, she was awake every night. But the same nightmare. She looked at the time. It was 11:58 pm. She got up from her bed and rested her feet into a cushiony fabric. She rubbed her eyes and cleared her vision. Under her feet were her blanket. She must've tossed it in her sleep.

She knew how much Astro hated that. But he never gave her trouble for it. She had no control of her body when she was sleeping. She always did the weirdest things in her sleep. Like talk, or laugh... or occasionally kick or push poor Astro off the bed. He sometimes got up and went to the windowsill to sleep. It as easy for him because he never moved around all that much in his sleep.

Zoran fixed the blanket onto her bed, and got up. She walked out of her room, down the hallway to the kitchen. She hadn't baked a cake since the day Astro had disappeared, which was a week ago. She brought her hand to her head again. A week had passed... but it seemed so much slower. It was probably because she was used to spending her time bugging Astro to play with her and pulling pranks on him.

But now that he was gone...

She rubbed the tabletop with her forefinger. It was soft and shiny and clean. A new record for the longest time it's been clean since she was here. The thing that irritated Astro the most was messing up the kitchen, trying to bake a cake. Eventually, he got the idea that baking a cake with her, teaching her how to clean up after herself while making a cake, would fix the problem. And, like most times, he was right.

She turned from the kitchen and walked down to O'Sheay's office. There was a light on. It was faint, bearly visible, but she saw it. She walked up to the door and peered in. Inside was Atlas. At first, he looked irritated. But, as she looked closer, she saw that he wasn't annoyed... but rather sad. He looked pained, a driplet of water spilling down his cheek.

He closed the laptop, and sighed, getting up from his desk and leaning against the desk, looking down. He was lost in thought. She pulled herself passed the doors silently, and made her way to the desk without Atlas noticing a thing. In fact, he had bent down to examine something on the floor.

Zoran pulled herself onto the desk and looked her his shoulder. Atlas slowly turned around to see Zoran standing on the desk. "Hi." She said when she noticed she had been caught. Atlas jumped and turned to face her. He sighed in relief.

"I thought you were that thing." He hissed quietly. Zoran smiled and jumped down from the desk.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I just wanted to ask you a question..."

Atlas sighed. "What could you possibly want to ask me twelve'o'clock in the morning, Zoran?" Zoran turned away, a walked a few steps, and looked over shoulder at him.

"Do... you miss Astro?" She asked. "Really... Please tell me."

Atlas froze, the question catching him by surprise. He didn't know what to say. He began to smile without control of himself. "Yes." Came his answer. "Very much." Zoran spun around, tears in her eyes. She flung herself into Atlas, wrapping her arms around him.

Atlas was ready to push her off... then chuckled. He brought his arms around her. "You really are you're brother's sister." He laughed. Zoran hugged harder. "Why would you want to know?" He quieted his voice in an unusual way.

Zoran looked at him. "Because I miss him, too."

Atlas lowered himself to Zoran's height and, with hesitation, hugged her. Zoran felt surprised by the gesture, but took advantage. She returned the hug to her brother.

And, for the first time ever, they saw each other as siblings... like they really were.

Astro felt his head. The fear overpowering. It tormented him to think of what sort of fate he would fall to.

Tears spilled over his lower eye lids. He pulled out a small pendent. It was the one Zoran had given to him for his first birthday, his first birthday as Astro, not Tobio. Astro opened it and, inside, was a picture of his friends around a park bench, smiling and giving peace signs or just standing with their arms crossed or hands on hips, or hands folding while sitting on the park bench... or climbing onto of him to get into the picture... He laughed. "Zoran."

In the other picture, was a picture of him and his friends doggypilling each other (this one only contained the boys: Ken, Alejo, Ambercrombie, Reno, and Astro, plus Atlas), poor Atlas at the bottom while Astro and the others toppled on top of him. He remembered how that picture was taken...

_"Okay! Is everyone ready!" Astro cheered, setting up the camera to go off in twenty seconds as soon as he pressed the button. Everyone nodded. "Okay! Here we go!"_

_He pressed the button and raced to get beside the other boys to get just the right position for the picture. He jumped onto Atlas's back with enough force to knock the 18-year-old over. Astro landed on top as Atlas bellyflopped onto the bottom. Astro laughed, until he ran out of breath when it was suddenly force out of him by Ambercrombie, who jumped onto his back._

_Ken and Alejo followed suit, landing side-by-side on Ambercrombie's back, and Reno pilling ontop of both boys. Everyone looked up to the camera and smiled, Astro's arms still around Atlas's neck. "Cheese!" The all shouted in union and the camera flashed._

Astro choked back a sob as he felt pang from the sudden realizeation that he wouldn't see them again. His energy was running low, and if he ran out of energy, he would never wake up. And if he never woke up... he would be cast into darkness forever, caught between the line of life and death.

That's what he was afraid of. Never seeing his friends or siblings again, forever trapped in his own mind, his own abyss. He pulled the chains on his wrists and ankels. He leaned his head back and let out a tortured sob. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly, sobbing, rocking himself back and forth.

The pain was so great. But it wasn't the pain of a broken circut, or the pain of a foreign object injected into his body, but rather the pain of sadness, anger. It was so famillier to have this feeling, since that was what he felt most his life... yet different.

The feeling was different somehow. It was so... agonizing.

He clenched the pendant into his fist.

He had to escape.


	6. Chapter 6: Mystery Solved

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 6**

**Mystery Solved**

Atlas must have read all Astro's enteries by the time Ken, Tawashi, and Delta had finished picking out the different sounds. Reno was still unconscious, has had been for the previous eight days, which made everyone begin to worry if that scalpal had been poisened with something censors couldn't detect.

Abbie had dropped by when she heard of Reno's accident and Astro's kidnapping to aid in anyway she could. Hannah had also showed up with Jake to see if they could find Reno's problem. "So, we know Reno is being taken care of." O'Sheay mused, turning to face the window away from Tawashi, Ken, Delta, Epsilon, Pluto, Atlas, and Zoran. "All we need to do know is find out the general idea of where Astro may be."

Tawashi nodded. Ken stepped foreward and inhaled to speak. "O'Sheay. Astro's last message had a backround... that looked somewhat famillier. I feel like I've been there before." Zoran agreed.

Atlas paused and thought for a moment. "Replay just the backround, Zoran." He said. Zoran obeyed, removing the creature and Astro from the picture. He watched the backround carefully. "Pause." Zoran froze the frame. He examined them for a moment. "Are those bars?"

Tawashi nodded. "They seem to be against a wall." He suggested. But Atlas shook his head.

"No. They're prision cells." He corrected. "Astro is in a prision."

"But which one!" Zoran wept. "There are thousands across country, and there is only one in Metro City!"

Atlas paused and thought for a moment.

_**Well, it's located somewhere outside Metro City near the car dump disposal thingy.**_

"Of course!" He cried out. "Zoran! Replay the first message without the music, the voice, or Astro's voice!" Zoran quickly obeyed. There were sounds of moaning, crying of woman and children in pain. "Take... out... those... voices..." Zoran switched off the voices and every listened carefully. "Turn up the volume."

And just what he expected to hear: Thunder and Engines.

"That isn't thunder." He realized out loud. "Those are machines! They're crushing cars in the Metro City Car Disposal Center. Astro mentioned it in his last entry! Which means..."

_**Well, I decided to go to this place called Jackal Prision with Ken, Alejo, Ambercrombie, Reno, and Zoran. We had an awesome time. We kept seeing and hearing things, so it was pretty awesome.**_

"He's at Jackal Prision!" He yelled. "That reason it's so famillier is because Ken, Alejo, Ambercrombie, Astro, and Zoran went there last week! You kept hearing and seeing things, right? And at one point, you were seperated from Astro, right?" Zoran and Ken nodded. "He said he found a room. He must have tried to read them, but didn't understand. That must have been what the Nurse meant by 'He regrets not knowing' and that we will not understand, either!"

Everyone gasped. "Astro wasn't able to solve the riddle!"

"Riddle? What riddle!" Kwan said suddenly from the corner he hid in.

Atlas took a breath. "If you can read this

You will regret,

Knowing of this riddle,

But if you can solve it,

You can escape,

The Black Cquan Armies,

With you're life

But if you fail,

You will suffer,

For the rest of time and eternity:

Who is the one,

Who controls the Cquan,

Who runs the Black Cquan Hospital,

Who will tell you about this riddle

He is hidden where you cannot find him,

He is tricky,

He is intellagent,

You can never guess,

He made sure of it

If you know this man,

You would think twice to guess him,

If you do not,

Know this man,

You could not guess him,

Because of you're lack of observation

He knows you,

He knows you're reading this,

He will take you,

Take you away

You're nightmare starts now."

O'Sheay and Tawashi nodded, trying to process everything. "And I know the answer, too." He announced. "The answer..." He turned and pointed to the scientist in the corner.

"...is Kwan Brack."

Kwan stepped out from the corner. "You truely are amazing, Atlas." He appluded. "You are just as quick as Astro. Helps when your design was based off of his." Atlas clenched his fist, and everyone prepared for a fight.

"What have you done to my brother!" Zoran demanded. Kwan shrugged harmlessly.

"Why don't you ask the nurses at Jackal Prision?" He said, hint of sarcasim.

"Those things are with him!" Epsilon cried out, forcing a gasp from Ken.

Kwan (A/N: Sorry about Kwan and Ken pretty much having the same name. That didn't hit me till just now) laughed. "You think I would just do it all myself? Sorry, sweetie. That ain't happening."

O'Sheay growled. "What I wanna know is why. Why did you take Astro away?"

"I didn't take him because I held a grudge." He began. "I didn't take him because I wanted money. I didn't take him to do nothing more but to cause him pain and suffering. To torture him, simply."

"You are a monster." Atlas growled. "What about the writting in the room!"

"The writting in the room was the chant to release the deadly monsters." Kwan chuckled. "I wanted to hurt him from the beginning, but when he found the room in Jackal Prision, where my little friends roam, I had to see how he would react to my stories being true."

Atlas stepped foreward. "You told him the riddle, didn't you! You did it to test his knowledge, see if he could figure it out. But he failed to do that, didn't he? So you took him and tortured him, just as the riddle said you would!"

Kwan laughed. "Atlas, you truely are amazing." He said again.

"Not only that, but you also run the Black Cquan Armies." He smirked. "That I know, not by answering the riddle, but you're name, Kwan Brack, and Black Cquan, when you put it backwards, Cquan Black, sound pretty smillier. When solving the riddle, I desided to go over all the possibilities and missed you, which means I had second guessed you.

"When I saw you hiding in the corner, I realized it was you who had done it. You told Astro about the stories of the Jackal Prision, those stories were recorded in his enteries. I read one about the nurses, and I immediatly remembered the one who attacked Reno.

"And, as I'm speaking, may I ask, just what has thrown Reno into such an unstable state!" Atlas stared at Kwan in anticipation, Ken behind him, choking back a sob and a gasp at hearing Reno's condition.

"What... do you mean, Atlas?" He bearly whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

Kwan watched everyone look at Atlas in wonder. Atlas's fists unfolded and he looked down.

"Four nights ago, before I had finished the laptop, I got a call from the hospital." He said, mourning in his voice. Sympathy. "O'Sheay was asleep at the time, so they called me next." He glared up at Kwan. "Reno is dying."

Ken felt the urge to run, the pain and the knowledge too unbearable. But he was frozen. "Why does this have to happen...?" He begged in a tormented whisper. "Why did you try to kill him Kwan...?" Ken clenched his teeth in anger and sorrow. Nothing was right. Astro was in pain, Reno was dying, and he was having a breakdown. "**Why did you try to kill Reno!"** He screamed, his soul tortured more then he could imagine. "Why are you hurting us! Why! Why are you hurting Zoran! Atlas! Astro! Reno! Why! Why! _ANSWER ME_!"

"Ken..." Delta began, but didn't finish his thought. He turned back to Kwan. Why was this happening? Why now? Everyone was frozen in pain, fear, and anger. Why did they so much during this battle? Why were they losing when they were winning?

Ken charged foreward and brought his fist back, tossing it into Kwan's face. The punch connected, and Kwan went flying into the wall behind him. Ken jumped back and fixed his vest. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that..." He spitted. Ken folded his arms and scoffed.

Kwan got to his feet and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "Ah, you throw a good punch, Kennedy." He complimented. "But, let's see how well you face against this." He pulled something from inside his lab coat. It shined... then flew into Ken's direction. Ken gasped, moving too slow to dodge the oncoming attack.

His eyes closed.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes to see the blade of a knife inches away from his nose. Two finger held it in place. He traced down the arm to see Zoran, eyes not visible because her head was tilted down so far. She twirled the knife in her fingers, facing the blade out away from her thumb, and looked up, her eyes feice with rage and sorrow, pain... and no fear.

"There's only one thing stopping me from killing you," She growled dangerously. "and that's Astro wouldn't want me, too. He would be disappointed."

Kwan seemed to have been somehow effected by these words. "Is that how much you love you're brother? You refuse to avenge him because he wouldn't want you to?" Zoran nodded once and deceleratedly. Kwan smiled slowly. "You are very loyal. He is lucky to have you for a sister."

Ken blinked once. "What made you have a change of heart, Kwan?" He questioned. "First, you're trying to kill me, now you're praising Zoran."

Kwan's eyes closed, but a please smirk remained. "I hadn't realized how much... loyalty she had to Astro. I thought she would've killed me on this spot, where I stand. It wasn't... expected." He turned around, and everyone tensed. "If I were you, I would head to Astro right away. He is losing power with each passing day. He won't live very long from now."

He began to shine... and a white light flashed. The light faded, and so did Kwan. Atlas relaxed. "This isn't over."

"You are right." Came a slow, sad, deep voice, obviously Pluto. "We have to save Astro before it is too late." Everyone agreed.


	7. Chapter 7: A Lonely Star in the Cloud

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 7**

**A Lonely Star in the Cloudy Night Sky**

"There it is." Atlas said in a dark voice. "That's the Jackal Prision." Off in the distance, the sound of crushing metal and machines at work could be heard.

Zoran was clinging onto Atlas's back, in the same fashion Astro did in the picture he took of them dog pilling each other. Ken, Alejo, Ambercrombie, and Tawashi had taken Tawashi's police car to the Prision. Ken convinced Tawashi and everyone to let him, Alejo, and Ambercrombie help find Astro, even when Alejo and Ambercrombie refused.

Pluto and Epsilon followed behind uneasily. In truth, Epsilon was still in shock from hearing of Reno's... condition. She hoped that both boy's would be able to live and escape their deadly holds.

A crow cawed into the night. No stars could be seen, for clouds overcast the city, showering the heros in rain water. Everyone was shaky, for what stories that were told may or may not have been true.

Atlas shuddered to think he would have to take care of those nurses... He had ruined his suit enough already. That, and he couldn't stand another scream from those wretched things. But, it had to be done in order to save Astro.

The group landed, everyone either getting out of the car or jumping off of Atlas's back. Ken pulled out a flashlight and flicked the switch. He, in honesty, had never felt so... not afraid... but having adrenaline surgeing through his body at such a high rate. Alejo and Ambercrombie cowared behind Ken without even thinking. Atlas scoffed, then looked at the ever-so-determined Zoran, who stared straight into the darkness of the entrance. It was pitch black, even with Ken's flashlight shining into the evil lair of gosh-knows lerking in the darkest corners.

"I hope you're ready for this." Atlas warned to everyone in particular. Everyone nodded and began inside.

Astro lied on the ground in anguish, cluching his head, panting heavily. His energy was so low, his eyesight was dimming, his hearing was fading. He had lost hope a week ago. He brought his knees to his chest and hugged them closely, still lying on his side. He bowed his head against his knees. He would always hear the same song: 4 by 4 time signeture, 3 measures long, repeating the same piano-like notes: G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

Zoran's song.

Hearing the song over and over made him feel his soul was being ripped from his very body, that his Kokoro was going to faulter and he would die. That something was whipping his heart and mind. The pain was unbearable. So emotionally unbearable.

He was going to die... A long, painful death. No doubtly, continuous torture before he would pass. Endless suffering... He wanted it to go away. He wanted to forget everything and everyone he knew. Forget everything he had ever experienced to ease his pain, but forcing himself to forget only caused more agony.

_They've forgotten me..._ He convinced himself. _Forgotten all about me. Did they even notice I have gone? Do they think I will return one day, that I will live? What is hope? Really... What is it? Isn't it the feeling you get when you are in dark times, that something will turn up, a merical of a sort? Where is the hope in me now? Where had it gone? Why is it gone? Have I given up life? When will my questions be answered? When will it end...?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_Would Zoran forget me?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_Would Atlas enjoy my disappearance?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_Would the world find it easier to live without me, no one to try and hunt me down?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_Why should I surrender?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_Why shouldn't I surrender?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_That's what they want, right?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_What if it isn't?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_What if they want what I don't have?_

G, A, B, A, G, B, G, B, A, C, C, G, F.

_Where are they?_

G

_Did they forget me?_

A

_Should I forget them?_

B

_What do I do?_

A

_Am I to suffer for the rest of eternity?_

G, B, G, B

_Why hasn't help come!_

A, C, C

_Where are they!_

G

_Someone! Please! Help me!_

F

He screamed.

A scream echoed off the bare, cold walls. Everyone jumped and turned to the direction of the scream. Zoran felt familier with the voice that it came from. "Astro..." She whispered, then began to jog down the corridor. She sped up to a run, then a sprint. She bolted down the hall faster then most, save Atlas, could keep up.

Ken was farthest behind. Even though he had joined the soccor team and ran laps almost everyday, he found it hard to run. He had drag on his shins. He could see Ambercrombie and Alejo bolting ahead to keep up with Epsilon. "Hey, guys!" He called out after them. "Wait up!"

He slowed to a stop and fell to his knees. This day just wasn't in his favor.

Up at the front, Zoran took complicated twists and turned down the halls, knowing which way and which corridor to take to Astro. She began to realize that she might not be able to find her way back. But, if everything went as planned, Astro would show them the way out, whether it through a hole in the roof or a GPS through the maze.

She stopped and looked around the corridor. There were doors on either side leading up to the back wall. She walk to the end and turned to the left. She opened the door and peered in. The first for her to see were shiny red shoes... no, boots, that lead up to the shin, metal bands wrapped around the ankels. She continued to open the door.

Next, she saw bare, peach colored theighs, then black underwear with a green band. As she continued to open the door, Atlas was approching her. Zoran slowly continued to open the door, tears in eyes at the slow realization of who it was. When she opened the door completely, a boy, no more then nine, dressed in nothing but black breifs, a green belt, and knee-high crimson boots, lying on the ground, chained to walls on either side. His hair was black and two-spiked in his famous way.

But everything she was oblivious to. She stared deep into the chocolate brown eyes, just like hers: filled with sorrow, fear, and suffering... but also hope. Somewhere, in those eyes, she could see hope. Her mouth opened, and she whispered the name like a lonely star in the cloudy night sky: "A-Astro..."


	8. Chapter 8: The Weeping Moon

Karma

**Storyline**

Astro has been kidnapped; the only clues his two calls to Zoran and his diary entries in his broken laptop. Ken, Atlas, Zoran, and Tawashi peice the clues together and solve a riddle to who kindapped Astro and where he is being held. Atlas, Astro, and Zoran need each other to keep their sanity and relieve their internal pain: Atlas needs to act like the eldest brother he is.

**Chapter 8**

**The Weeping Moon**

"A-Astro."

_Her_ eyes began to moisen as tears were already dripping down _his_ cheeks.

"Z-Zoran."

Not a sound was made, for they were silently connected in such a way at the moment, it was overpowering just to see. To feel it... it was just so strong, such a feeling could cause a mind to lose it's normal function. This was the reuniting for two tortured spirits, one who had been needing the other for so long... and vice verse.

Atlas had caught up to Zoran finally and looked into the room she refused to take her eyes off of, even at the call of her name. "Astro!" He cried out, breaking the two out of the trance of healing.

"A-Atlas!" Astro yelped, his cry in happiness. He jumped to his feet and ran as far as the chains would allow him to go. "You guys did come after all!"

Everyone joined him later (save Ken), and began to all talk at once, trying to fill him in on what had happened the last couple of weeks (Epsilon going on about how worried she was about him, Pluto, Tawashi, and Atlas remaining quiet by the door). Epsilon had broken Astro's chains with her triangled beam and began to drag him out the door. At this point, Astro said, "So Ken stayed behind, huh?"

Everyone froze. "N-no." Alejo responded. "He was right here just a minute ago!" Silence.

"Wait." Astro instructed, and increased his hearing. "Quiet." Everyone obeyed. He consintrated hard. His head began to pound from the lack of energy he was trying to use. Suddenly, he heard painful gasping. Yes, it was Ken. But with trouble not too far behind him. "We have to hurry! He's in trouble! If those nurses get him, they'll either kill him or capture him!" Everyone nodded and blasted down the halls. (Pluto grabbed Tawashi, Alejo, and Ambercrombie and Atlas aided Zoran)

Astro blasted down the halls at such amazing speed, he knew it was going to take a while for everyone to catch up. He began to see the outline of a struggling shadow. He activated his arm thrusters and brought his legs and arms foreward, using a backwards thrust to push him to a stop. "Ken!" He cried out as the shadow began to have color and details.

He rushed to the tired soccor player's side and caught him in his arms. "Astro..." Ken smiled weakly. "Boy, am I glad to see you." Astro smiled and glanced down. His shins had been cut by something, mysterious shadows creating Ken's drag to make him slow down. Ghosts.

He picked Ken off the ground, who was pleased to have Astro there again. "So, then it was Reno who decided to stay home." He chuckled. Ken frowned. Astro didn't know it yet. Thankfully, Astro was oblivious to the sudden mood change. "Let's get outta here." He waited for the other to catch up, then the robots quickly sped out of the prision, Astro leading the only way.

Astro placed Ken inside Tawashi's car, noting that it was painful for Ken to walk. He turned and nodded to Atlas. Astro had been the only hostage in the prision. Pluto, Atlas, Epsilon, and Astro flew into the sky, charging their most powerful attacks, aiming at the prision, and firing, disinagrating the prision and it's unhumane inhabitants not a second too soon.

For the first time in weeks, Astro had felt relief, safty. Smiling, a dark abyss overcame him, causing him to begin to fall to the surface of the Earth, but Atlas steadily caught him before Astro could touch the ground. He turned and smiled to everyone. "Let's go home." He suggested more then demanded.

Everyone nodded and began back to Metro City.

His eyes opened slowly, revealing big, brown gems for his eyes. He glanced around, his first clear sight a pair of identical eyes staring back at him... then a famillier laugh. "He's alive!" Zoran wrapped her arms around Astro in a tight hug, the waking boy still trying to process where he was.

Once he realized he was safe, he returned the gesture. "Zoran!" He cheered and hugged even harder. He was still tired from his lack of rest and sleep, but he knew he would be fine.

"You don't got any trauma, do you?" Came a soft voice from his right. Astro gentally pushed Zoran away but not out of arms reach and nodded.

"I'll be fine." He insisted.

O'Sheay sat down on the side of his bed and placed a hand on Astro's head. "It's nice to see you've come around. I was afraid you may have been broken beyind repair." Astro smiled, then suddenly jerked, doing a complete scan of his electronic brain.

A laugh from his left ensured, "Don't worry. We removed the device while you were unconscious." Astro turned his head and smiled at the sight of an 18-year-old boy overdressed in red armour.

"Atlas..." He agknowledged.

Atlas walked over to Astro and bent down to his height. "I hope you don't mind, I had to break into you're diary entries to get clues on where you were." Astro blushed and looked down, but Atlas grabbed Astro by the chin lightly and forced him to look into his eyes. "Just promise me you'll be yourself around me?" Astro looked lost for a moment... then smiled.

"Okay!" He promised. He looked down, trying not to cry. "I... didn't know you cared so much, Atlas." He choked. "Why did you spend time in trying to save me?"

Atlas smiled, holding back his own spilling tears. Their tears were tears of healing. "Because you're my brother, Astro. Tobio and Daichi may not have been biological brothers, but we are not Tobio or Daichi, we are Astro and Atlas. My design is based of yours, so we are brothers." Astro looked up and smiled. "You and Zoran are my only siblings... and I love you. Like a family, of course."

Tears spilled over Astro's eyes as he embraced Atlas in a hug. "Thank you..." He bearly whispered.

Atlas hugged back tightly. "No. Thank you... for showing me what a friend and a brother was."

Ken, Alejo, and Ambercrombie soon entered the room and gave congrats, Ken on crutches for his heavily scratched (and one actually broken) legs.

"Thanks for you're help, Ken. Alejo. Ambercrombie."

"It was nothing." Ken smiled.

"Anytime." Alejo added.

"No problem." Ambercrombie finished.

Astro turned to Zoran during the silence and smiled slightly at her. "Zoran, I really am lucky to have you for my sister." He said calmly. "Luckiest robot in the world."

"Hm." Zoran sighed. "No, I think I am." Astro smiled.

There was a gental knock on the door. Astro smiled and jumped out of bed. He ran up to the door and opened it, to find someone he truthfully hadn't expected to see. "Abbie?" He gasped. "Hi." Abbie's face was downcast, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Abbie...?"

**November 8th /30**

**Dear Journal,**

**Reno's dead. I was told poison was dipped on the scalpal the nurse who had attacked him was using. I wish I had been there to protect him. I wish I didn't have to write this. I wish that things could've gone differently. I wish I had never listened to that stupid riddle Kwen told me about.**

**Ken was attacked by ghosts in the corridor who must have made winds fly up with debrie to injure his legs, his right shin breaking when he accidently stepped on it wrong when a large rock hit it. The music was from my mind, Zoran's piano recital. One of my most recent memories. A nurse had hacked into my memory bank when I was strapped to the table and found the piano recital, playing the music in my cell to cause me pain of the fear of never seeing my family or friends again.**

**He's still loose out there, asking his riddle and killing innocents who would never be able to answer the question. Those innocents would endure my same fate, with a much more horrible ending.**

**Sometimes I wonder how I'm still here. How I got here. Why did O'Sheay bring me into this world in the first place, full of hate and death, pain and fear...?**

**But as I think about it. This world is also full of love and life, pleasure and hope... **

The man entered the room where a lifeless boy layed. He watched the boy. No life. Not a breath. He stared deeply. "I am sorry, Reno O'Sheay. I did not mean for you to end up here."

**...how there is always a chance for the worst to become the best...**

The cloaked man injected a surange into the boy's arm, and waited silently for a moment.

**...how humans can make up for their mistakes, how robots can fix them...**

The boy took a breath and his chest began to heave, the machine's coming to life with beeping and wurring.

**...how some of them have a change of heart...**

The man turned and began out the door... and the boy's eyes began to open. "Thank you." He whispered. The man heard him over the loud beepings and yelling coming closer to the door.

"I wanted to right my wrong." He replied and left out the door.

**...I don't think I will ever understand human's and their ways of thinking. We are all different, and need to be spoken to in different ways...**

The man walked down the hall without anyone asking questions... without Reno saying a word about him.

**...Someday, we will all speak the same language, all agree on one thing.**

**But, until that day, we just have to make up for our mistakes, keep living life, keep working...**

**Because it can all work out in the end.**

"Astro." Came a voice from the door. Astro turned to see Miss. Yuko standing at the door. "Something amazing happened at the hospital."

Astro smiled, his prayer's answered.

_It _will_ all work out in the end._

THE END


End file.
